Histadrut Calls Off General Strike as Finance Ministry Backs Down

The general strike of the entire public sector that had been planned for Tuesday, April 25, was called off late Monday afternoon after an agreement was reached between the Histadrut and the Finance Ministry guaranteeing the continued employment for personnel of the soon to be dissolved Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA). According to Histadrut, the Finance Ministry backed down from its previous position and said that it will provide funding for hiring all 550 employees from the IBA in the new Israel Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) or in other state funded offices.

Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Histadrut chairperson Avi Nissenkorn at the Histadrut headquarters in Tel Aviv

Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Histadrut chairperson Avi Nissenkorn at the Histadrut headquarters in Tel Aviv (Photo: Journalists Union)

Although no agreement in writing has yet been signed, and the Ministry of Finance refused to elaborate on the terms of the agreement, the dispute appears to be essentially settled. In addition, an outstanding pension-related issue was said to have be resolved in favor of the workers. A group of 170 employees between the ages of 40 to 50 will receive larger pensions than they would have under existing terms at the IBA, conditions which they deemed as unfair.

While others in the public may be relieved that the massive disruptions that would have been caused by a general strike were averted, Labor MK Shelly Yachimovich, a candidate for head of the Histadrut, claims that there had been no real decision to go out on strike in the first place. She decried the threats made by Histradrut leader Avi Nissenkorn as a “phony strike,” aimed at grabbing headlines to boost his chances for re-election next month. Yachimovich, Nissendorn’s rival for the Histradrut leadership position, charged that the so called last minute agreement which purportedly prevented the general strike had in fact been reached long before Monday.